Dr. Dennis Jay O'Brien has passed away on Tuesday, Septemper 20, 2005

The Norman Transcript

Longtime Dallas resident Dr. Dennis Jay O'Brien died Tuesday, Sept. 20, while returning home from an International Association of Energy Economists conference in Denver, a group of which Dr. O'Brien was past president. Visitation will be 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. today at Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home in Dallas. Services will be 4 p.m. Saturday at Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home Chapel. Friends and relatives may pay their last respects at that time. Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Dr. O'Brien was born March 5, 1936, in Omaha, Neb., the fifth of five boys. Early on, his desire to see beyond his immediate world led him to join the Marine Corps and travel to California and beyond. In the Corps, he learned pride and self-discipline and developed a work ethic that combined with his intellectual curiosity defined him. Following his Marine service, he completed his education at the University of Nebraska, where he was awarded bachelor and master of arts degrees. He was awarded a doctoral degree from the University of Missouri in 1974.

Dr. O'Brien held the John A. and Donnie Brock Chair in Energy Economics and Policy and was director of the Institute for Energy Economics and Policy at the University of Oklahoma. He was managing director of Petroad and Energy Advisors was a widely recognized thought leader in international energy. He held several distinguished positions throughout his career including chief economist of Caltex Petroleum Corporation. Prior to joining Caltex, he was deputy assistant secretary for international energy security for the Department of Energy under President Reagan. He held tenured positions and served on boards of several universities.

Family members say Dr. O'Brien's career is a testament to the fact that to him the love of life and pursuit of learning and the arts were deeply intertwined; there could not be one without the other. Intellectual curiosity drove him and allowed him to operate at a pace where others would soon tire. "His curiosity took him to more than 85 countries throughout his career and his love of learning ensured he brought back something from every one for the rest of us," a family member said. His life was spent bridging the world of academics and business and he had a love of higher learning.

Dr. O'Brien is survived by his wife Beverly; children Pamela and Kevin and wife Aoi who is with child; and many students and professionals.

A scholarship fund has been established in Dr. O'Brien's name at Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University.